Nigeria, March 26 -- Friends, admirers, and the "Obidient" fanbase of the former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Gregory Obi, love to call him by the sobriquet "Okwute," which in Igbo, Nigeria's third-largest socio-linguistic group, means rock, boulder, or stone. Quite a nice alias - especially if you associate some doctrinal nuances of Obi's faith with his first name, Peter.

The symbolism of the name Okwute, borne by males, signifies one who is strong, dependable and unyielding in Igbo cosmology. But a nice alias is not necessarily a fitting one.

The fluidity with which Obi moves around the political circuits has little, if any, resemblance to a rock, boulder or even a stone. Except, of course, if he's a rolling stone, ...